Hey guys, I worked so hard to get this chapter out there. Let me know what you think! I had no clue where this chapter was going to go, and I really think I started to fly by the seat of my pants a little near the end. But let me know what you think! I figure I have a pretty good idea of where this is going now, and it may even get a part II eventually. So stay tuned! I hope to have the next chapter out shortly!

Ch. 11- 'Evonne Beaumont'

There was no mistaking it, Yumi Ishiyama was sitting there across from Ulrich. Not only that, but they just kissed! Ulrich's mind was whirring at a million miles now, all sorts of questions were forming in his mind. But he was having a hard time finding words to express himself.

"We need to move…!" said Yumi grabbing both of the men by the arms and leading them away.

Yumi lead them down winding roads and away from the restaurant. Ulrich didn't know what was going on, he had just found out that the girl he had just run into not only was Yumi but that they then proceeded to kiss. Once they were several blocks from the restaurant, Yumi stopped and let go of Ulrich's and Odd's arms. Once she stopped, the trio caught their breath and she stood there looking at the two friends, almost like she expected them to say something. But not much came out.

"I- Uh- Ah-," stammered Ulrich.

"Sh- H- Wh-," stammered Odd.

"S-say something you two…" muttered Yumi, she was turning a bright shade of red.

"What was that?!" yelled Odd, "Leave for ten minutes and I come back to…this!" he muttered under his breath. It was obvious that he was having a hard time coping with what just happened.

"Uh…yeah, what he said?" said Ulrich.

"I had to keep my bodyguards from noticing me," said Yumi innocently.

"Y-your bodyguards? Those were the guys looking for you?" asked Ulrich, finally finding his brain again.

"Yeah, I skipped out on an event around the corner to come see…my mom" said Yumi.

"That was your mom?" asked Ulrich, now starting to put the pieces together. His mind flashed back to the woman he saw hugging Yumi earlier.

"Yeah, now you know why I was in disguise, I don't want people to know my mom works there or else they're going to start badgering her to get to me. Plus, my manager would be furious if he knew I went there. He's trying to get me to separate myself from the 'foreign girl' image," explained Yumi.

"Foreign girl?" asked Ulrich

"Yeah, he thinks it's better for my image that I make it just look like I'm foreign, but not actually be from a foreign country. He just wants me to look the part, not act it. So everyone believes that my parents were foreign, but moved here before I was born. He says it makes me seem more 'exotic' without actually putting anyone off," said Yumi, glancing around again.

"What's so wrong with that?" asked Ulrich.

"Well, with the way the world is right now, no one wants their heroes to not match up with their ideals. Ishiyama has become a big name in France now, it would be devastating to fans for them to find out I was actually Japanese. It would be like…" Yumi thought for a second to come up with a good connection, "It would be like finding out that Napoleon wasn't actually French, but that he was British or something. No one in France would believe it, or want to believe it."

"So…you're now Napoleon?" asked Odd, he was not following this conversation well.

"No Odd," said Yumi, "Look, there are only a few people that know that I am not actually French, that includes you and most of the executives at CEM. Years ago, after I got started in film, my manager suggested I change my name to Evonne Beaumont, so I did. It's supposed to make me more relatable to the public."

"Wait, so your name is Evonne?" asked Ulrich. Yumi tried to shush him so no one else heard him say that.

"You say that name out loud either my bodyguards are going to hear you, or someone else will and we'll be mobbed by avid fans."

"I didn't know that you changed your name…!" said Odd, "How come I didn't know that?"

"Because…" sighed Yumi, "I knew you in school, and I know you have a big mouth, so there was no way I was going to tell you this. The only way to keep it a secret, Odd, is to make sure no one is talking about it…" Odd looked slightly hurt.

"This doesn't seem like a very good secret." said Ulrich, "What about all the people who knew you in school, or before you became an actress? Wouldn't they know that you changed your name or something?"

"Well many of those people now work for CEM," said Yumi, a glint in her eye.

"What-?" asked Ulrich and Odd at the same time.

"Why else do you think you got hired Odd? And you too Ulrich? It's partly due to the fact that you went to school with me," explained Yumi.

"Now hang on!" protested Ulrich, "You're saying I got hired because I could out your secret?"

"Kind of," said Yumi, "Look, it's hard to explain. My manager worked hard to get me to where I am now, and he did so with the help of many of the higher-ups in CEM. It's kind of a big secret…to everyone else outside of the company. Inside the company, no one really cares. They know that Evonne isn't my real name and that I'm actually from Japan. It's just showbiz to them. But a lot of other people, this is no laughing matter."

"So it's not really a secret," said Ulrich, "More of a joke…"

"That has to be the biggest inside joke I've ever heard…" said Odd, slightly in awe.

"So you get it!" said Yumi, "And you won't tell anyone?"

"Uh, sure? It's not like I have much of a choice now do I?" said Ulrich.

"Of course, you can count on us!" said Odd, flashing a smile and a thumbs up.

"Oh, you guys are the best!" said Yumi, throwing her arms around the guys.

"But I still want to know what that whole thing from earlier…" started Odd.

"The kiss?" asked Yumi, pulling away, her face starting to flush again.

"Yeah, I want to know about that too!" said Ulrich.

"Look, I needed a way to keep my bodyguards from finding me, so that was the first thing I could think of," said Yumi.

"So that was it? Just a diversion?" asked Ulrich.

"Well, uh- don't make it sound so bad!" said Yumi.

"But that's what it was! A diversion!" argued Ulrich, he was starting to feel a little used.

"Look, okay so I panicked!" said a flustered Yumi, "You were about to blow my cover, my bodyguards were going to find me, and I needed a way to stop both!"

"So you did know what I was talking about!" cheered Ulrich.

"What are you talking about?" asked Odd.

"She and I were both mentored by Jim! When we were at Kadic!" said Ulrich.

"What, Jim? I remember Jim! Oh man, good times…" said Odd.

"Wait, if we were both in Pencak Silat, why didn't we ever train together?" asked Ulrich.

"We did," said Yumi, "You don't remember? Our first sparring match I pinned you fair and square, but you couldn't handle it so I asked Jim to mentor me separately."

Ulrich did remember that. At least one version of that fight. Older Ulrich obviously remembered it the way that Yumi was describing. It had to have been one of the most poorly attended martial arts classes he had ever seen. The only reason it didn't get canceled was because Yumi signed up for it last minute. But she wasn't a beginner like he was expecting. He considered it kind of cheating that she already knew some moves, but then again, so did he so he started to sound a little hypocritical. But soon after the match began, it was over. She quickly pinned him to the mat, which according to the rules was an automatic loss. Ulrich had never lost before, so it was a blow to his ego at the time. After that, he did remember that Yumi never came to classes again, and Jim wouldn't tell him why. In another time, Ulrich went for a rematch, but he couldn't remember much after that. Apparently, Yumi, however, didn't remember that. Which must mean, she wasn't remembering everything yet. But there was no way Ulrich was going to find that out because suddenly two large hands grabbed Yumi and started to drag her off.

"There you are! We've been looking for you everywhere!" said a nasally voice nearby. Ulrich and Odd looked to see a small man accompanied by two larger men.

"Hey-!" complained Odd and Ulrich.

"Look, say goodbye to your little friends, we are so late to this event!" said the man.

"Who's that?" hissed Ulrich to Odd.

"That's Yumi's manager, real sleaze of a guy…" whispered Odd.

He certainly looked it. His hair was thinning on the top of his head, and the few remaining strands were slicked back and oily. He wore a pair of glasses that were so thick they probably rivaled even Herb and Jeremy's. He was an older gentleman but he still seemed to be suffering from acne and the resulting scars. He wore a mismatched shirt and pair of pants and a really old, and thick brown sports jacket that still had elbow patches and looked like they could have had shoulder pads for all Ulrich could tell. His shoes were probably made in the same decade as the sports jacket and were old, scuffed, and in dire need of a polishing. His tie was wide and flashy. Everything about this guy seemed to scream used cars salesman, not a manager. Although Ulrich figured in some cases there was little difference.

"Look, Mr. Durand," started Odd, but he was cut off by one of the bodyguards gut checking him. Odd wheezed and doubled over on the ground.

"Hey-!" shouted Yumi and Ulrich. Ulrich rushed to Odd's side and Yumi struggled against the hands that were holding her.

"Oh, my! Mr. Della Robbia! I'm so sorry!" said Yumi's manager, "I didn't recognize you so I told them that if they faced any trouble to take care of it!"

"Geez, thanks…" moaned Odd as Ulrich helped him to his feet, "We were having a company meeting, that you so rudely interrupted…" Ulrich knew it was a lie, but he wasn't going to complain, this was very close to assault or kidnapping and he wanted to do everything he could to help Yumi out of it.

"A company meeting?" asked Mr. Durand, "At this time? And in a place like this?" said Mr. Durand looking around the alleyway they were standing in.

"Well, of course, there was nothing of the sort on the sch-edule…" said Mr. Durand in a funny way, pulling out an older model phone, "Who is this, anyway?" he said pointing to Ulrich.

"Uh, he's my uh- Vice President…" said Odd.

"I thought that position was empty, or are you telling me that you've filled it?" asked Mr. Durand, "So anyway, what was this about a meeting? Why was I not invited to it?"

"It- it was last minute, a production note came up that we needed to discuss for an upcoming show that I wanted to cast Yumi in…" bluffed Odd, "I needed to discuss it right away, the pitch is first thing next week."

"Well I really wish you would've cleared it with me, otherwise this wouldn't have happened. Look, terribly sorry about all of this, but we really have…to…go!" said Mr. Durand gesturing to the bodyguards to continue taking Yumi away, "Send me an email about this show, I'm sure we have much to talk about!"

And just like that, they were gone.

Odd sighed and stood on his feet by himself. He wound up and spat a glob of blood on the ground and growled, "Jerk…"

"So…we're just going to let her get kidnapped by that guy?" asked Ulrich.

"What else can we do? There are no discussing things with that guy!" said Odd, leaning up against a nearby wall, "He would have made a fantastic lawyer in another life."

"I was thinking more like a car salesman," snickered Ulrich.

"Ooh, that's good! I'll have to remember that one!" laughed Odd. He quickly stopped though because of his injury.

"Geez, are you alright?" asked Ulrich.

Odd held up his hand to stop Ulrich, "I'm fine, I've had worse. Besides, it only hurts when I laugh…Ooo and breathe…" he winced, "So…that was…a thing."

Ulrich laughed, "That's putting it lightly. I certainly didn't see my night going quite like this."

"I really think I need to start wishing for things I want more often," said Odd off-handedly.

"Huh? What do you mean?" asked Ulrich.

"Well, I wished that you would run into Yumi and talk. Of course, you two did more than talk…" said Odd.

"Wait, you thought I would run into Yumi there?!" shouted Ulrich.

"Of course, I knew that her mom worked there. I know things about the people I work with! How else do you think I knew about the restaurant in the first place?" said Odd.

"So this was your plan!" said Ulrich, and he punched Odd on the shoulder.

"Ow! Take it easy! I just wanted you to meet. I even told Sam about it, she thought it was an awesome plan. Of course, I had no clue if she would actually show up! That was sheer luck!" said Odd.

"So what was your plan if she didn't show up?" asked Ulrich, a little curious about what the rest of this plan was.

"I don't know," admitted Odd, "Did you like the food?"

"Huh? Yeah, it was okay…" said Ulrich.

"See? I would have just invited you back until she did come!" said Odd, "Of course running into her the first time was much better than I could have expected! That's why I should wish for things more often!"

"Like…a million dollars!" Odd looked up like he expected the money come raining down on him in that instant. Ulrich laughed at the blonde's enthusiasm, "So how'd it go?! I know you've been thinking about doing that for ages!" asked Odd.

Ulrich blushed, he had almost forgotten about the kiss already, "I um- it was uh-," Ulrich couldn't find words.

"Hmm, that good huh?" chuckled Odd.

"Well…it's not like it was planned," admitted Ulrich, "She just kind of pushed her lips into mine and we just kinda sat there for a bit."

"Oh, it was like that…" said Odd, "Yeah, I dated some girls who thought that was what kissing was."

"I uh, well I don't really know what to say…" said Ulrich, "Sure I had thought about doing something like that, y'know, before all of this happened? But for some reason I thought it would be because I was dating Yumi, not covering for her so she could avoid somebody."

"I know what you mean," said Odd, "This whole thing has turned our world upside down."

"Yeah, and I don't think Yumi remembers it all," said Ulrich, "When she talked about our sparring match, she told it from a different point of view. The "older" one as I've been calling it."

"You mean that went a different way?" asked Odd.

"Yeah, 'younger' me remembers that after that night I went back the next day for a rematch," said Ulrich, "But obviously that never happened in whatever time we are in now."

"We really need to get to the bottom of this, it is confusing me to no end," said Odd, scratching his head to show his confusion.

"Yeah, no joke," said Ulrich

"So, you want to go see what this event that Yumi is involved with is all about?" asked Odd.

"You sure?" asked Ulrich, "I kind of get the feeling that we won't be all that welcomed there now."

"Nah, what's the worst that could happen? It's a free event I'm sure so why wouldn't we be able to go?" said Odd, standing up on his feet and hobbling towards the end of the alley.

"Well if we see those bodyguards again, I'm leaving you to fend for yourself…" grumbled Ulrich.

"Ooh, that's cold, good buddy, so cold!" laughed Odd.

Ulrich and Odd worked their way back towards the main streets. It was easy to find where the event was because there was such a large crowd working their way in a certain direction. They were all slightly younger than Odd and Ulrich, probably in their mid-to-late teens and very early twenties. Ulrich and Odd jumped into the crowd and followed them to a nearby bookstore. The crowd outside was so large that it was hard to see what was going on. But Odd was able to fill Ulrich in on the details. It was hard to hear each other over the roar, so they both took turns shouting and then leaning in to hear what the other had to say.

"Oh, it's Sean Cardiff's book," he said looking around at the crowd, "It was recently made into a movie adaptation, so they republished the book with a new cover to match the movie poster and some other stuff. Just a bunch of publicity junk."

"Um, Odd, don't you work with the Cardiff's?" asked Ulrich.

"Yeah, they're great guys, but I really think they can be full of themselves sometimes," admitted Odd, "Yumi played one of the major roles in the film adaptation, so this has to be where she is," said Odd changing the subject.

"Do you ever go to these kinds of things?" asked Ulrich.

"Nah, no one is ever really that concerned with meeting the developers of their favorite shows," said Odd with a shrug, "They care more about the actors and the directors. But conventions, that's where it's at! There they don't care what you did, just as long as you worked on the show. Those nerds just eat it up. But usually you're there with a panel of other people, so it's not like you're the star of the show."

"Whatever you say," said Ulrich, to be honest, he wasn't really paying that much attention. He was looking for Yumi, but he couldn't see her. But however, he could see the twins, Sean and Seth. Suddenly an idea struck Ulrich.

"So, uh, crazy idea…" started Ulrich, "But what do you think about the Cardiff twins for these two faces here?" he said, pulling out the picture that he and Odd were working on from his back pocket. He had taken to carrying around a copy of it just for these kinds of moments. The brunette pointed to the two faces near the front of the group. The figures had an arm on each other's shoulders, similar to Odd and Ulrich.

"You think that those faces belong to Sean and Seth?" asked Odd, looking at the photo, then at the twins, "C'mon Ulrich, it was almost a stretch for me to believe Jeremy, but that one is out there."

"Well I keep getting this nagging feeling that I need to talk to them, see what it is that they know," said Ulrich, putting the picture away again.

"Knock yourself out…" said Odd, "What, do you think they are the reason we're here? Like they had something to do with it?"

"No, nothing like that, I just get the feeling they might know something," said Ulrich.

"Well I see enough of those two at work, so I'll catch you later and let you know if I run into Yumi," said Odd, offering up a hand in farewell. Ulrich took it and the two clapped each other on the back.

"Where are you going?" asked Ulrich as he watched Odd walk away.

"I'm going to flex a bit of my celebrity status and see if I can't skip this line," said Odd pointing out how long the line was actually getting.

"Wha- Hey!" protested Ulrich, "Take me with you!"

"Nah, what was it you said earlier? Just leaving you to fend for yourself?" said Odd, "Just giving you a taste of that medicine…" laughed Odd and he ducked inside the bookstore.

"Real cold good buddy, real cold," scowled Ulrich, but he figured it was fair.

He watched as Odd ducked through security without a second glance. It was obvious that the security was being provided by CEM, and so Odd probably knew them. The shop wasn't open yet since they were still setting up for the actual event, but Odd popped right in after being cleared by security. The svelte blond stepped in and Ulrich could hear people warmly welcome him. Seth hugged Odd and Sean put out a hand to shake and the two clapped each other on the back. Odd disappeared out of sight soon after down a row of people he didn't recognize. Ulrich felt kind of out of place now in this group. Many of them looked to be anywhere from 3 to 10 years younger than him. The younger ones were either accompanied by a large group of friends, or by their parents, whom all seemed to be around his own parent's ages. Ulrich seemed to be one of the only young adults in the crowd. He went to get a spot in line but found the line starting to snake around the corner. Ulrich quickly jumped into line before it got any longer. He heard several cheers and the line started to move along at a pretty decent pace. He figured that meant that it started.

"Thank goodness," sighed Ulrich.

"You here to see the Cardiff's too?" asked a voice from behind Ulrich. He spun around to see a girl about his age right behind him clutching a copy of the book that was on display.

"Uh, no, I'm here to see a, um- good friend," said Ulrich.

"Oh? Who is it? Wait, let me guess!" This girl seemed so chipper and excited, maybe a little too much, "Is it Pierre?"

"Who-?"

"Pierre Jean-Luc! The star of the movie? I mean, the whole thing is about him, I mean, c'mon! How do you not know that?!" said the girl.

"Uh, no…" said Ulrich, feeling like he had just been insulted and he didn't even know why.

"Then who?! C'mon, you can tell me!" Ulrich felt a little awkward trusting a girl he just met.

"Uh, Yu- I mean, Evonne," said Ulrich, remembering what most people knew her as.

"Oh my gosh, do you mean…" The girl leaned in close and whispered, "Yumi Ishiyama?"

"How do you know that name?" asked Ulrich.

"I work at CEM, so I have that 'insider scoop' so to speak," said the girl like she was trying to be cool.

"You…" said Ulrich staring at the girl, "Work at CEM?"

The girl didn't seem like much. She was shorter than Ulrich by at least a foot or more. She had brilliant red hair that looked like it been straightened with a curling iron. Her bangs were dyed a dark black, giving her an almost punk rocker look. The rest of her hair spilled out of a poufy hat that she had. She wore a pair of small, yet stylish pair of glasses, and a dark shade of lipstick. She had a large, knit-looking scarf that almost seemed like it had swallowed her whole. And a large, black coat over it all, as well a pair of really long looking socks that went up most of her legs. To finish it off she had a simple pair of flats as well. Ulrich thought that she looked about his age but really seemed to act several years younger.

"Of course!" said the girl, "I work in the writing department!"

"You work in the writing department?" asked Ulrich, "So you work with Sean?" Ulrich was remembering the map of the building now in his mind.

"Uh- kinda?" said the girl.

"Kinda? How can you kinda work with Sean?" asked Ulrich, a little confused.

"Well, I- I'm not like a writer there, I'm more of like- the copy girl," she said, kind of dejectedly.

"Well that's okay," said Ulrich trying to console her. He didn't know why he was doing it but she just seemed so, helpless, "I work in the mailroom, so you probably have it better than I do."

"See, I knew you worked there!" said the girl, "You know about Yumi…" she whispered, trying to act all cool.

"Yeah, I knew her back when we went to school together," said Ulrich.

"Wow! That is so cool! I knew that a few people from Yumi's past worked at CEM, but I haven't actually met any of the others yet!" said the girl, "I started working there about a month and a half ago or so, and I don't get much of an opportunity to leave the writing floor."

Ulrich could think of several people that would probably fit into that category. Everyone in the mailroom was at the head of that list. Then there was Odd, Sissi, and maybe even Jeremy, since Ulrich could remember that the blond nerd went to the same school as the rest of them. Ulrich wondered just how many people fit into that category now that he knew that secret. But Ulrich was interrupted by the girl putting out a hand for him to shake.

"Sophia Belanger, pleased to make your acquaintance!"

"Uh, Ulrich Stern," said Ulrich simply, and he shook her hand.

Sophia gasped, "You're Ulrich Stern?"

"Uh, yeah? Do I know you?" asked Ulrich.

Sophia leaned in to whisper again, which Ulrich was sure meant they were talking about Yumi, "Miss Ishiyama was asking Sean about you the other day!"

"Was she?" asked Ulrich, he felt kind of shocked, "What was she asking about?"

"She just wanted to know if you worked there, y'know, at CEM," said Sophia, "Sean said that he had just seen you that afternoon up on the Executive floor."

Ulrich realized that must have been earlier that week when he went up to deliver the mail to the Executive Offices. He wondered why Yumi was asking for him, and why she was asking Sean. But Sophia interrupted his thinking,

"Yeah, Yumi and Sean used to be in the same grade in school. Y'know at Kadic academy?"

"Wait, Sean and Seth went to Kadic as well?" asked Ulrich. This was news to him, although they would have been one grade ahead of him.

"Yes, I did too," said Sophia, her face beaming, "That's when I first met Sean, oh- and Seth!"

"Yeah, I went to Kadic too," said Ulrich.

"Wow! Did you? This is such a small world! Were you in the same grade as Yumi?" asked Sophia.

"No, I was in the grade below Yumi," said Ulrich.

"The same grade as Sean…?" said Sophia dreamily.

Ulrich could tell already that Sophia had something for Sean, but he changed the subject, "So you knew Yumi too then, I'm guessing?"

"Well, I won't say I knew her, knew her. I mean I knew of her, but I didn't actually meet her when I was going there. I didn't have many friends when I first arrived," said Sophia.

Ulrich was starting to see why, but he decided to keep on the subject at hand, "But you knew she went there? That would make you one of the ones who got hired at CEM because you knew Yumi!"

"I guess it does! Wow! I never thought of it that way!" said Sophia. Ulrich was starting to see why this girl was only hired to be the copy girl. It certainly wasn't for her intelligence.

"You must mean a lot to Yumi," said Sophia suddenly.

"What?" He was taken off guard.

"Well she seemed so desperate to find you that day, I hope that she did! Oh! Is that why you're here? You're here to see Yumi?" she asked cheerily.

"Um, kind of?"

"Wow! That's so romantic! How quickly love blossoms in the city of love!" she exclaimed.

"What? No! It's not like that! Yumi and I are, uh- just good friends!" Ulrich groaned internally, he had been saying that line too much lately.

"Oh…" said Sophia, slightly downcast, "Well I'm sure she'll see that you're a good guy eventually."

"Uh, sure. Um- are you seeing anyone right now?" Ulrich was desperate to just change the subject, any way that he could.

"No, I'm single…" she said with a mix of sadness and cheerfulness. Ulrich didn't know that could be possible to look happy while still sounding sad, "But I'm hoping that one day my knight in shining armor will notice me!" she said. They had finally gotten to the window of the store and Sophia looked longingly towards a picture of Sean that was posted there announcing the event. Ulrich now knew that this girl had an almost obsessive crush on the blond twin.

Ulrich got up to the door where the burly security guard was ushering people in small groups at a time. Ulrich found himself getting tacked on to the end of the next group going in, freeing him from having to spend another minute with Sophia. Ulrich had to admit, she seemed like a nice girl, just perhaps a little more hyper than he preferred. Sophia wished him well if she didn't see him again, and also shouted after him that she would see him at work. Ulrich felt relieved that he could tell that she had a crush on Sean because he was sure if he spent another minute with her, she would have clamped onto him. She reminded him vaguely of Sissi, just not as shallow or manipulating.

Ulrich got into the warm atmosphere of the bookstore. It was a quaint little place with warm lights and cheerful people. Ulrich couldn't help but smile a bit when he got into the main part of the store. There was a table of merchandise sitting not far off from the line that they were being shuffled down. There were copies of the book, along with other things like shirts, and recreations of props from the movie. Ulrich figured he had never seen the movie since he didn't recognize anything there. Also, the movie seemed more for younger people, so Ulrich figured that was probably the case as well. But Ulrich did realize that he was at a signing event, so it would be rude not to bring something to sign. So he quickly rushed over to the table and purchased one of the last copies of the book.

While he was waiting for the line to advance, Ulrich turned to the back cover to read the synopsis. It was a story about a dystopian future where a computer had taken over and was causing problems for the group of heroes. So the heroes found a way to go into the computer and battle to free their world from the clutches of the evil computer system. It actually seemed like an interesting concept, and Ulrich found himself flipping through the pages a bit to read some it as he waited for the line to move again. But he didn't realize how engrossed he got into the book until someone in front of him cleared their throat. Ulrich rushed to close the gap. Ulrich looked up to see Mrs. Cardiff standing there directing where to go.

"Oh my! Ulrich dear, how good to see you!" said Mrs. Cardiff.

"Um- hello Mrs. Cardiff, how's the event going?"

"Oh, just fine dearie, just fine!" she gushed, "Oh I see you have a copy of the book! Let me guess, you came to get Yumi to sign it?" asked Mrs. Cardiff with a sly smile and a twinkle in her eye.

"Uh, yeah…" said Ulrich awkwardly. For some reason, this was apparent to everyone even though he was trying not to be so obvious about it, "How did you know?"

"Oh, she came asking for you the other day," said Mrs. Cardiff.

"She did?" asked Ulrich, "When? Or, uh- why?"

"Oh she didn't say, but she seemed in such a rush. It must have been just after our executive meeting the other day. She had just come up from the writing department and was asking if anyone had seen you. Of course, I was happy to help her. I told her you had been up there just earlier. You know the day you came up to deliver the mail on the Executive floor? Did she happen to find you after that? We said you must be in the mailroom or out on a delivery, so you could be just about anywhere!" said Mrs. Cardiff.

"Oh, uh- no she didn't," said Ulrich.

"Oh well, you're in luck! If you're one of the first 500 people here you get the special opportunity to meet the stars of the movie, and also I'm sure my sons are down there somewhere too!" said Mrs. Cardiff.

"Oh, thanks for the heads up!" said Ulrich. He was now determined to make it there in time.

"She seems to care a great deal for you if you ask me," said Mrs. Cardiff before Ulrich walked away.

Ulrich felt confused. If Yumi was asking for him, he thought it would be for things involving the supercomputer, or so he figured. But it seemed like to him that she hadn't quite remembered that yet like Odd and Ulrich had. So if she wasn't looking for him to discuss what happened and why they were there, then what was she trying to find him for?

"Yumi?" said Ulrich, "We're just uh- good friends."

"Uh-huh," said Mrs. Cardiff coyly, "Sure Ulrich, sure…"

Ulrich thanked Mrs. Cardiff again then continued down the line. He wanted to skip down the line but the event staff made sure no one cut with some long, velvety ropes that kept people corralled in line. So Ulrich was forced to go down the rest of the line and wait his turn. He just hoped that he got down the line in time. Every so often there was someone sitting at a table who seemed to have worked on the movie in some way. Ulrich stopped at almost every person even though he didn't know most of them. He figured getting as many people to sign his new book would make it worth more someday down the line. He recognized a handful of people as some he knew from work, or just saw as he delivered the mail, but no one recognized him in return. At the end of the line, there was a fork in the road. Down one side was the path that led back to the door, on the other end was a special table for the stars of the movie. Ulrich recognized a couple since they were on the cover of the book. But other than that, Ulrich had no clue who the rest of them were. He could see Sean and Seth at the head of that line, and Yumi down at the very end. There was another large security guard standing watch as another person kept count, it was Odd. He had a small, old-fashioned counter in his hand that he would click every time someone went by him.

"495, 496, 497, 498, 499…" Ulrich could tell that Odd was counting the 500 people who were allowed to go down the other fork. And Ulrich started to realize he was going to be too short.

"500!" said Odd just one person in front of Ulrich. The security guard took one of the ropes and slung it over the path, blocking Ulrich's access, "Okay, we've reached 500 people, everyone else needs to go home now!" bellowed the security guard, and there were several disappointed groans from people behind him in line.

"Odd!" hissed Ulrich, the blond hadn't seen him yet.

"Hey, good buddy! You made it just in time to…Ooo…" groaned Odd, seeing which side of the rope Ulrich was on.

"Yeah," said Ulrich with a scowl, "Can you maybe…let me in?" he whispered.

Odd turned to the security guard, "Oh! Will you look at that?!" he said in an overly melodramatic voice, "I miscounted! This man here is number 500! See?" Odd pushed his thumb down on the clicker's button to make the sound but not to rotate the number, he held up the counter and the guard read it.

"Peh," he scoffed, "Whatever you say you were the one supposed to be counting." He lifted up the rope and allowed Ulrich to pass. There were a few complaints from people who saw this happen, and Ulrich thought he was about to get kicked out. But the security guard bellowed over the noise.

"Hey! We miscounted, but now we officially have 500 people, so anyone tries to worm their way in will find themselves on the fast track out of here!"

Ulrich felt kinda bad, but not bad enough to admit what happened, "Thanks, man, you're a real lifesaver, I owe you one," he said to Odd.

"That's for sure…" said Odd. Ulrich had a feeling owing anything to Odd was about to be one of the worst situations he could find himself in.

Ulrich walked up to the first table where the Cardiff twins were sat. Seth shot up once he recognized Ulrich and shouted down at the brunette.

"Hey! Mailroom dude!"

"His name is Ulrich…" corrected Sean, as he signed another person's book, "Honestly, we're going to be leading the company someday so it wouldn't hurt you to learn the names of some of the people working there!"

"Yeah, yeah," said Seth dismissively, "You can do that if you want, I'm fine with just calling him mailroom dude."

Ulrich didn't know whether to laugh or be concerned but he walked up to the twins and started talking anyway,

"Hey guys, uh- how's it going?" Ulrich felt kind of awkward talking to the twins since this was just the second time he met them.

"It's going well, but I always am tired by the end of these. I can only handle so many people saying they're my 'Number One Fan'," said Sean wearily.

"Aw, c'mon Es-ee! Why can't you have more than one number one fan? I do! I think it's great!" said Seth, elbowing his brother.

"Well I hope I don't ruin your evening," said Ulrich, "But I met another girl outside who said she's your number one fan, and I think she means it…"

"Wait, what girl? Does she have red hair and black bangs?" asked Sean.

"Uh, yeah…she does! How did you know that?" asked Ulrich.

Sean sighed, "Sophia…I don't know how many times I've told her she doesn't need to come to these events for me to sign her stuff. She sees me at work! I've explained that if she wants I'll sign her things there!" Sean looked down the line to see Sophia just walk up to the other side of the rope. She was barred from entering by the security guard. But that didn't stop her from immediately looked up at Sean and energetically waving towards him. Sean waved back just to be polite. The blond twin then looked back towards Ulrich with a sense of relief that she wasn't going to be coming this way.

"So did you enjoy the book?" asked Sean, changing the topic. The twin looked down at the book Ulrich held in his hands, and Ulrich looked at the book as well, almost forgetting he had it.

"Yeah! Well, I just started reading it, but I have to say I really like it! The idea of that computer taking over and causing a dystopian future, I think it's really good!" said Ulrich.

"Thank you…" sighed Sean.

"Huh?"

"My father didn't like the idea, he almost didn't approve the story for publication. I'm glad someone likes the idea behind it. Most just like the characters and care less about the story. They just want to see if John gets with Veronica," said Sean with another large sigh, "Well enough about that, you want me to sign that?"

"Uh, sure! Thanks!" said Ulrich, "I mean if you want to?"

Sean laughed, "Isn't that why you came here? Oh, or were you hoping to see someone else tonight?" Sean looked down the table to where Yumi was. Ulrich gulped and blushed. His intentions just seemed to be written on his face or something tonight.

"It's all good…" said Sean, taking the book and throwing a quick signature right underneath his printed name inside the cover of the book, "Most people want to meet her anyway," he said with a sly look down the table towards Yumi.

"Well no, I mean…It was good to see you guys again," stammered Ulrich.

"Look at him," chuckled Seth, "He can't even get words out right now." He took the book from his brother and signed right next to Sean's signature. It was larger, and somehow messier than his twin's signature.

"She's a really nice woman," said Sean quietly, "I've had the pleasure of working for her for almost her entire career. And if she was my type, I would consider myself a very lucky man, indeed"

"Yeah," chimed in Seth, "Anytime I have a new role in a movie, I can almost always count on Yumi to fill it that is if she isn't already starring in some other role at the time."

"And of course, you couldn't do worse than Yumi Ishiyama," said Sean. The blond twin looked exactly like his mother when he said that, so Ulrich had no trouble seeing where he got it from. Sean handed back the book, and in his nervousness, Ulrich could hardly handle it. He almost dropped it twice before Ulrich found his words again.

"L-look guys…" stammered Ulrich, "I- I really don't think you understand what's g-going on right n-now…"

"Oh, I think we have a pretty good idea," said Seth, a huge grin plastered on his face.

"Y-Yumi and I are…" stammered Ulrich.

"…Just good friends?" finished Sean, "How often did we hear that in school, huh Seth?"

"Oh, all the time…" said Seth with a laugh. You could pretty much count on two things in school. One, Jim would rather not talk about it…"

"And two, Ulrich and Yumi are just good friends…" said the twins in unison.

"W-what?" asked Ulrich, he had lost all track of what was going on at the moment.

"Just go down there and talk to her!" coaxed Sean, "You might just be surprised at what happens…" he finished with a sly wink.

"O-okay…" said Ulrich.

Ulrich stumbled away from the table where the twins were sitting. What were they talking about? He didn't know them while they were in school. Or did he? Ulrich couldn't be sure because all he could think about at the moment was Yumi and that was blocking out anything else. Did she really feel the same way that he felt about her all those years ago? Although, if Ulrich was sure about one thing, maybe it wasn't years. Maybe it was just seconds for them, but that event was enough to get her to act on those feelings? This was all the fault of that supercalculator. He just knew it. Ulrich had no idea why, or how, but this had to be that supercalculator's fault since that was the one thing that bound him, Odd, Yumi, and even Jeremy together. Ulrich's mind was a blur. He mindlessly walked down the table, collecting signatures from the others on the panel.

"Wake up, sleepyhead!" A female voice was pulling Ulrich back to reality.

"Mm? Is it over, are we done?"

"What- what's done?"

"Mm-? The work on the supercalculator, is it done?"

"Ulrich!" shouted a voice right in front of him. His eyes took a second to get into focus. It was Yumi.

"What did you just say about the supercalculator?!" hissed Yumi. She was motioning for the twins to come over, Odd was closely in tow.